A Game of Changes

About

A Game of Changes is a single player puzzle game. It was developed by Bit Outside the Box and was released on March 22, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

In "A Game of Changes" , you navigate as Confucius through 64 levels inspired by the I Ching, an ancient Chinese classic. Your goal in each level is to open the door, with gameplay focusing on manipulating tile elements to progress. The game encourages exploration and personal interpretation, with no set progression or rights or wrongs. Its design and mechanics are based on the philosophical and scientific principles of the I Ching, emphasizing introspection and discovery.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

62%

Audience ScoreBased on 74 reviews

music4 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

The game provides a relaxing experience with calming music that can help players unwind.
It offers an interesting and creative core concept that challenges players' patience and encourages exploration.
The game combines puzzle and platform elements effectively, creating a unique gameplay experience.

The game suffers from technical issues such as freezing and crashing, making it difficult to progress.
There are limited customization options for controls and graphics, which can hinder the gameplay experience.
The lack of clear instructions and tutorials can lead to confusion, especially for players unfamiliar with the source material.

music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game is described as relaxing and zen-like, enhancing the overall experience with its lovely soundtrack. However, users express frustration over the lack of proper audio controls, making it difficult to manage the background music, especially in the main menu. While the music contributes positively to the gameplay atmosphere, the audio settings are poorly implemented.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “A game of changes has such lovely music and endearing graphics, and the gameplay is so intuitive and simple, I think that rage is pretty much out of the question.”
- “It's worth mentioning that the game has a very nice zen-like soundtrack that fits very well.”
- “Bewilderingly, the game doesn't include proper audio controls, so you can't turn off the annoying background music; you'll need to alt+tab out and stop the music using the Windows sound mixer.”
- “There are volume controls, available only after starting a level, only for music, but they are completely ignored when going back to the main menu.”
- “Main menu music helps me sleep.”
graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The graphics of the game are described as low quality, with no options for resolution adjustment or customization, limiting players' ability to enhance their visual experience. However, some users appreciate the endearing art style and find it complements the game's intuitive gameplay and lovely music.
- “A game of changes has such lovely music and endearing graphics, and the gameplay is so intuitive and simple, I think that rage is pretty much out of the question.”
- “There's no option to change the resolution for the game or customize the graphics settings.”
- “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
- “The lack of customization options for graphics settings is disappointing.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as exploitative, with reviewers labeling it as a cash grab that relies on copying pre-existing game templates and assets. This approach is seen as a form of shovelware, where minimal effort is put into creating original content, raising concerns about the integrity and value of the product.
- “These guys do nothing but copy premade game templates and game tutorials, fill out a few things, stamp out basic levels using the construction kit templates, slap on an asset-flipped set of sprites/assets, and dump them on Steam and into daily indie game bundles as cash grabs.”
- “Trying to get paid for someone else's game templates and assets... at best, this is shovelware; at worst, it's a scam/cash grab.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The gameplay is often described as confusing, particularly for those unfamiliar with the source material, and the lack of a tutorial exacerbates this issue. Players may need to seek external explanations to grasp the basic mechanics effectively.
- “So, for other people like me, here's the relevant part of the email response I got from the wonderful dev to explain the basic mechanics of the game.”
- “If you're unfamiliar with the source material, the gameplay is confusing, and there's no tutorial.”
story
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The story conveys a powerful message about resilience and the unpredictability of life, emphasizing that perseverance in the face of adversity can lead to unexpected and rewarding outcomes.
- “The moral of the story is that you never know what life has in store for you. If I had given up when all odds were against me, I wouldn't be where I am today.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users indicate that the game offers higher replayability compared to traditional 3D platform games, suggesting that its mechanics and design encourage repeated playthroughs.
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is a significant issue, with multiple users reporting frequent freezes and crashes that prevent progress beyond early stages. This has led to a largely negative reception regarding its reliability.
- “This review is only negative because the game freezes and crashes so much for me that I haven't been able to make it past the fourth stage.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a "hands off" approach to instruction, which complements its overall pace and enhances the immersive experience. This design choice allows players to engage more organically with the game world.
- “The game feels very 'hands off' in terms of explicit instruction, which I think fits the atmosphere and the pace of the game quite well.”